Hi, try using another web browser like Firefox, Camino if you use Safari and try another user account to see if the issue persists there too. I'd suggest using a maintenance app like OnyX too, just run it from your macbook's Administrator account and don't touch the mac when OnyX is running. The options under Automation (tick the box next to "Execute Maintenance Scripts" if is disabled) t'll suffice and you'll need to reboot sometime or another. This reboot will seem to take forever but this is normal as several important databases are being re-created so just be patient. I don't know about the Antivirus program ... whether that's necessary or even useful in this case ??
Here's the OnyX link and make sure you download the correct version for your Mac OS:
http://www.titanium.free.fr/download...fd08ae91fd5ad4